A plurality of oral cavity cleaning devices are available for sale. First, toothbrushes are known, which are simple devices comprising a handle with a bristled head at one end.
The shape of the handle is more or less elaborate in view of a more effective grip and for the head to reach the less accessible zones of the oral cavity. Furthermore, the bristles may also have different shapes and flexibilities for optimized teeth cleaning. The motion of the head in the oral cavity clearly ensures cleaning of the oral cavity and the dental arch.
The use of the toothbrush is usually combined with the use of toothpaste, i.e. a pasty fluid containing ingredients that facilitate removal of bacteria and residues from the oral cavity. Toothpaste also comprises refreshing ingredients to leave a pleasant feel in the user's mouth and to fight halitosis.
A further known device is the tube brush, i.e. a particular toothbrush adapted to ensure hygiene of particularly large interdental spaces and fixed dentures, and to remove the plaque deposited below the elements of a bridge or at the base of the teeth in case of gingival retraction.
Another currently available instrument that may be used for cleaning the oral cavity is the toothpick. This is known to be a small object with at least one pointed end, for at least partial penetration of dental and/or gingival interstices to engage and remove food residues or else.
When regularly and properly used, the above devices are aids to oral cavity cleaning and hygiene. An additional aid is known to be the use of gargles.
Nevertheless, while the above mentioned devices and fluids are available in large numbers, none of them, if used alone, can reach more than partial results in oral cavity hygiene care.
For instance, the tube brush is not suitable for use with toothpaste, and the toothbrush, due to the flexibility of its bristles, cannot be an effective substitute for the tube brush or the toothpick. On the other hand, while the tube brush is of relatively small size, it is larger than a tooth pick, which can reach food residues even in particularly narrow interstices.
US2005/232683 discloses an oral cavity cleaning device having all the features of the preamble of claim 1, with a reservoir enclosed into a stem which could be filled and/or refilled with a fluid for cleaning the oral cavity. However, this known device is adapted to be used only as a toothbrush.